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| I’m taking the family fishing this weekend, and when the pressure is on me to produce some action I turn to live bait. I plan to get a couple dozen “northern minnows”. The bait shop usually gives me a mix of suckers and fatheads about 5-7 inches long. We usually do pretty good fishing this way, but I have a heck of a time keeping the bait alive. Any suggestions? I’m thinking of putting a block of ice in the live well, has anybody tried this? Will it get too cold?
Thanks in advance.
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| Mike: The Ice and lots of aeration and changing the water periodically should help
Good Luck
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| I always ad ice to my sucker water, even in the fall it really helps keep them alive much longer. I know of a few people that have converted a large cooler with a fish tank aerator into sucker livewells. The extra insulation of the cooler keeps the temps much more consistant and cold. |
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| Dude, get the spring(untreated) water from Wally Mart etc. + freeze it; no chlorine! You can buy the 1 gal jugs + freeze them...pour a little out of the top first. Also you can pour the untreated water into quart cartons/jugs or even smaller containers depending on space to fit them in your freezer or baitwell. Wear gloves + singing Jimmy Crack Corn will keep them calm + well adjusted![:sun:] |
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| I would think a couple of "Stacker 2's" & a can of Red Bull in the water should keep them there minnows plenty lively!!!
SENOR HORSE
"This gravy tastes better than God's sweat!" |
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| Thanks for the help guys. I think I’ll use the water from the lake to freeze and save a trip to the store. As far as the fish food goes, I think the live well’s normal use (beer well) should provide some remnant nourishment. [;)] [:bigsmile:] |
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| Don't get the water too cold. If your livewell is too much colder than the lake water, the sucker will die quickly after it is in the lake. You might be better off keeping the water aerated and slightly cooler than the lake temp. |
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| Good thinking, maybe I should have the ice block on one side of the divider and the bait on the other? I’ll try that. |
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| Maybe place the ice in a container, like a few plastic bags, to slow transfer of temps and thereby reduce shock on the critters? |
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| Sponge, I forgot to ask, why should I wear gloves?[;)] |
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| Because you told me to when using acetone! Plus they come in handy when no thermometer is available on board...[:0] |
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| Don't use ice at all. The temp change will kill them deader than john ghotti. Buy your minnows from a non-chilled tank. That will work better for you. you can also get a few frabill oxygen tablets for the livewell, may help. |
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Hot Bait!